The dangerous task of battlefield clean up after battles has demonstrated the need for self-destruct devices in fuzes. Reducing duds--unexploded projectiles--is needed to eliminate a potential hazard condition in the field and minimize the efforts of Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel needed to clean up the field. This has become an important focus in fuze design.
Reducing duds in the field may be accomplished by increasing or maximizing fuze reliability or by adding a self-destruct feature which causes self initiation of the main charge when the primary activation system fails.
The dud problem of mechanical fuzes has long been an issue in military operations. Virtually all fuzes have a built-in failure rate to some extent. Prior attempts to reduce duds or unexploded projectiles remaining in a field include the addition of a self-sterilization/neutralization device to the fuze. The prior art method causes a high order functioning when the fuze is armed, to produce the desired self-destruct event. If the fuze is not armed, functioning the primary explosive will reduce the hazard but will still leave an unexploded round in the field. This type of device, therefore, still requires Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel to clean up the field and still renders a potential hazardous condition in the field itself. Combat effectiveness is not improved by this prior art device, but rather, adds a significant cost increase to the fuze.
It would be of great advantage if a fuze could be developed that would improve combat effectiveness so that rounds would function as intended rather than with a self-destruct mode that offers limited or no effectiveness.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a fuze that maximizes reliability of the fuze to over 99.9%, statistically.
Another object of this invention is to provide a fuze that avoids the need for a self-destruct mechanism.
A specific object of this invention is to provide a fuze that utilizes existing mechanical design to maintain manufacturing and cost advantages while substantially improving effectiveness and reliability.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.